Title: Outcast's Alley
Author: RhiannanT
Rating: T/PG-13
Genre: Adventure/Drama
DLP Category: Recycling Bin
Pairing: None but it's definitely not slash and the sequels won't be slash either
Status: Complete
Summary: When Harry goes through some changes the summer before his Fifth year, his relatives don't react well. Suddenly Harry finds himself homeless and alone, and learning to cope with yet another whole new world he'd never known existed. creature, royalty

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5621051/1/Outcasts_Alley

Surprisingly good and the only Creature!Harry fic I've seen that isn't slash.

The part where Harry changes into whatever the fuck he is isn't too long thank god and the Dursleys' reactions are surprisingly realistic.

Almost hit that little X when it took the "Prince Harry" turn but I stuck with it because I was bored and I think it was worth it.

Mo is the cutest and most realistic character of her kind I've ever read in fanfiction.

The portrayal of Knockturn/Outcast's Alley is very good and not nearly so cartoonish as it often is.

Ultimately, characterisation is a big strength of this story but the plot needs some work.

RhiannanT started writing the sequel "Bastard Prince" but offer it up for adoption after 2 chapters and it was picked up by ForgottenEllipses who hasn't been very active lately. I wouldn't be surprised if we never get to see the rest of series.

Good for a dull night but not good enough for anything other than the recycling bin. What do you guys think?

 

Why would you rec something that you don't think is good enough for the library?

 

I agree with you; the plot does need a heck of a lot of work. A big bonus though, is that it's one of the few non-human!Harry stories that isn't a pile of slashy crap. (See Veela!Draco. 'Nuff said).

There are many elements in this story that I do like, the portrayal of Knockturn Alley being one of them, and it is a good read, but the cons far outweigh the pros.

An example of a 'con' would be Severus Snape being Harry's father. Although a somewhat logical/plausible explanation is given, it's still a very thin excuse.

Another would be him distancing himself from Hermione. Ron, I can somewhat understand because of his canon behavior, but Hermione? The interaction between the others characters was fairly decent, however, especially with Sirius.

Another major con would be that quite a few canon characters that were confirmed as being pure-blooded wizards/witches are actually either full or partial fae. Blood purity was a big part of the original Harry Potter series, and to have this element either being discarded or replaced makes the fic' a bit alienating.

It seems that the authoress has dug deep into British mythology by using her own adaptions of the Unseelie courts and the creatures consisting it.

Apparently, the authoress has decided to spin this off (her 'universe') into an original direction now, unrelated to Harry Potter. I think the link to it is on her profile, somewhere?

Recycling Bin or at the very least, Almost Recommended, I personally think.

Also, this?

 

Recycling Bin is still the library it's just the worst of the library. Good enough to stand out in the crowd but not good enough to be considered exceptional.

It's readable but not really that great. Also I haven't read any of the sequel yet so I'm assuming that Snape being Harry's father is in it as I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about, Ichor.

Anyway, the main reason I read and recced it is the novelty of a non-slash Creature!Harry fic.

EDIT: Woops, just checked out the specs for the Recycling Bin. You're right Zennith it isn't the library but many people still rec stuff for the recycling bin.

 

So...you're reviewing the story, but you haven't read it? Because that was established pretty early on, methinks.

 

Read this a while ago. Didn't like it.

Creature Harry is fairly bad anyway. Ridiculous creature Harry is even worse. What the fuck is he meant to be?

And I'm not going to even get started on the outcast's alley. "Hey, let's disregard all the fun bits of Harry Potter canon - characters, world and magic - and replace them with far crappier versions! That's a great idea!".

2/5

 

No i read the story that I am reviewing/reccing which is Outcast's alley. I am not reccing or reviewing it's sequel Bastard Prince because I have not read it and I also think it is too short to give a good review and it will probs be abandoned.

 

Its better than most creature Harry fics, but then that is an extraordinarily low bar. As Taure said its an OC fest. Also, there isn't much of a plot and the story is Harry stumbling his way through the summer.

]

This. Also a large part of the Harry Potter series is the Ministry being intolerant and oppressive towards all non-purebloods. Here the creature courts appear to have more power and influence than the Ministry, to the point that even Dumbledore fears them. Just no.

No its in Outcast's Alley. Its not explicitly stated I don't think, but the author makes it blatantly obvious that Snape is supposed to be the true father of 'bastard Harry'. It's not at all subtle.

 

It's not stated in the first story itself, but "severitus" is in the A/N at the top of the first chapter.

It should also be noted that the second part of this story is abandoned.

 

This story is rank shit.

 

I tried reading this a few months back and wasn't a fan. It's essecially the hated Diagon Alley shopping trip stretched to last for a whole story (except not in Diagon Alley but rather an original and boring version of it).

Then the whole thing with him taking care of a baby... Ehhh...

Not a fan.

I don't remember if either the grammar or punctuation were any good, so I can't comment on that.

2/5

 

Read this a while ago, and kept up with it as it updated, hoping that maybe it would turn into something. After all, it was a non-slash Dark-ish!Harry with decent grammar and a good update rate, so I was willing to overlook the major flaws. I wish I had just given it up after the first chapter and not wasted the time. >_<

1) The fact that his transformation took place over a week or so, with no real explanation. I don't count the whole Snape's-the-dad-thing, as that did nothing to explain why he turned into a fey.

2) The portrayal of Knockturn Alley as a wonderful haven for the misunderstood, instead of a couple of seedy pawnshops and brothels, like canon.

3) Why the fuck did Purple-Hair-Mary-Sue-Hi-I'm-Your-Soul-Mate show up, hand him a kid, and just up and fucking die on command?

4) Harry's a goddamn Hufflepuff.

5) The fact that there was absolutely no plot whatsoever. No conflict, no battles, no Voldemort, ect. And then it ends.
a) I don't count that little correspondance between him and the Unseelie Court as
conflict. That was nothing more than "I don't wanna be a prince!" bullshit.

2/5, as it's got decent grammar.

 

Oh hell no! I read this piece of crap awhile back. I was taken in by a creature Harry fic that wasn't slash, but was driven away by an inane "plot" and contrived writing that made my eyes split open in agony. If you're a fan of the genre, read http://www.ficwad.com/story/15769 which is already in the library. Don't hurt yourself with this crap.

1/5 because the author knows how to use spell check.

 

Just read that on FicWad, and it's a terrible shame that it's only 13 chapters long: it's fucking great!

Fire-dropping Snape into Hogwarts' Black Lake!

Edit: Ah, I found a continuation by someone called 'Wimvincken'...unfortunately, one 'new' chapter in and it's obvious that the story is going into heavy, shitty cliche/drama territory. Lost interest.